Donate
Radiotherapy is a highly effective treatment for cancer: 40% of all patients cured of cancer are cured by radiotherapy. It works by beaming radiation directly into tumours, destroying cancer cells by irreversibly damaging their DNA. While precision has improved greatly over the years, the radiotherapy that kills cancer cells can still damage healthy tissue, causing significant health complications and long-term side effects.
As a result of the successful MRI appeal, Beatson Cancer Charity was able to award a £95,625 grant for 18 new head & neck immobilisation kits which will be used to treat brain, head and neck cancer patients at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and Lanarkshire Beatson.
The new immobilisation kits will ensure that patients can be quickly and comfortably placed into the correct position for their radiotherapy treatment every single time. This will help to enhance the precision of radiotherapy treatment and minimise harm to surrounding healthy tissues. It will also help to reduce long-term side effects such as chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment, changes to hormone levels, chronic dry mouth and changes to speech or voice.
Furthermore, the new immobilisation kits will be used with the Beatson’s new MRI scanner (funded by the charity) to provide more personalised and advanced treatments for complex cancers. These kits will also enable the Glasgow Beatson and Lanarkshire Beatson to safely meet the rising demand for paediatric radiotherapy which involves strict margins of error.
This medical equipment will benefit around 1,050 brain, head and neck cancer patients annually - for at least ten years.
For more information about this project, Email: funding@beatsoncancercharity.org
For further enquiries call our funding team on 0141 212 0505.
